2023 heralds the beginning of a new phase for the Marvel Cinematic Universe - with Phase 5 officially beginning with the release of the first Marvel Studios film of the year in "Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania". Much like its size-changing protagonists and heroes, a lot of hype and expectation has been riding on this sequel to 2015's Ant-Man and its 2018 sequel Ant-Man and The Wasp - because it not only continues the story of Scott Lang and the Pym family, but also marks the introduction of the villain who literally is the big bad threat of The Multiverse Saga in Kang The Conqueror!
Thanks to the folks at SM Cinemas as well as Walt Disney Studios PH, Marvel Philippines, and Stratworks, I was able to catch the special advance screening of Quantumania on IMAX - and on Valentine's Day no less! You can check out the highlights and coverage on the video below just before we jump into the review!
Life is seemingly perfect at this point for Scott and his family, until Cassie builds a device that sends a signal to the mysterious Quantum Realm - which was instrumental in helping The Avengers get back the Infinity Stones from different points in time. Things get out of hand when her creation activates on its own - sending Scott, Hope, Cassie, and both Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne inside. Separated and with uncharted territory to explore, Ant-Man and his colleagues soon discover that life does exist inside the mysterious dimension as does a threat that could spell disaster for the multiverse if unleashed - and his name is Kang The Conqueror.
Once again directed by Peyton Reed, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania maintains the humour and light hearted heroic action that made the first two films enjoyable superhero films. However the threequel dares to turn things up a notch on a much darker note - as Jonathan Majors shows his acting skills and makes a very good impression playing Kang The Conqueror. Unlike his wacky and unpredictable turn as the variant "He Who Remains" in "Loki", Kang is a man who is obsessed with one goal - conquering all realities and bending it to his will. Despite those evil intentions, the villains is humanized and somewhat sympathetic thanks to his relationship with Janet Van Dyne - once again played by Michelle Pfeiffer and showing more background on what exactly did she do in the 30 years she was stranded inside the Quantum Realm.
Of course this wouldn't be an Ant-Man movie without Paul Rudd doing his silly and naive superhero thing as Scott Lang. While he's basking on his newfound celebrity status, Scott is also trying to harness his duties as a dad and pass his experience as hero properly to his daughter - who is every bit as smart and skillful as her adopted family the Pyms. Newcomer to the MCU Kathryn Newton is the third actress to portray Cassie Lang, and viewers will easily fall in line with her performance and the energy she gives into the role. It's just as infectious as her father's skills combined with Evangeline Lilly's own set of moves as Hope Van Dyne/ The Wasp. This completes the trio of heroes that make up the new generation of Pym Particle users - while Michael Douglas' Hank Pym gets his time to shine again with his ants... Who evolve into something more thanks to effects of the Quantum Realm as well.
Probably the biggest offshoot from the source material was the depiction of MODOK - aka the Mechanized Organism Designed Only For Killing. Those who have followed the Ant-Man films will be surprised to know that this version of the character is someone who was a former villain from the first film. - Darren Cross aka Yellowjacket. Once again played by Corey Stoll, this MODOK is visually and physically similar to the one many grew up reading as a Captain America and Iron Man villain, but his origins are unique to the MCU and is a creation of Kang. If you have no attachment to the villain then he's not a bad character - but like many Marvel villains used in films he's not given enough time to shine. This also applies to Bill Murray's character of Lord Krylar - who serves as a plot device rather than a character who stays for a longer duration in the film.
While not exactly on the same level as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness or Spider-Man: No Way Home, Quantumania is still a pretty solid movie that serves as a setup to the bigger threat coming to the rest of The Multiverse Saga with Kang's introduction. It's still very much an Ant-Man movie at its core, with a dash of Star Trek and Star Wars thanks to the weirdness and complexity of the Quantum Realm that comes off as its own alien world to explore. It isn't an Avengers-level superhero epic, but it does plant the seeds for something greater to come - and Jonathan Majors proves without a shadow of a doubt why he's perfectly cast as Kang. His range as an actor holds no bounds, and watch for two post-credits scenes when all is said and done.
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania is now showing in theaters.
Rating - 3.5/5
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